Spartan Mercedes 190 (w201)
Discussion
Following on from comments on this thread...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm just curious what you other Mercedes fans think about a 190 being a modern classic, or is it just old? I believe they are modern classics due to the effort that Mercedes put into them, -and the following they have now, but I can see both sides of the coin.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm just curious what you other Mercedes fans think about a 190 being a modern classic, or is it just old? I believe they are modern classics due to the effort that Mercedes put into them, -and the following they have now, but I can see both sides of the coin.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
The term youngtimer is pretty cringey, but it's a useful one for this sort of car I think.
Deffo classic in my eyes, but more to the point, who cares anyway? Just enjoy it.
Youngtimer, yucky term......aint that a continental/German term....thought we were divorcing ourselves from them, why not their half baked anglocisms too.....Deffo classic in my eyes, but more to the point, who cares anyway? Just enjoy it.
P
I have been spending some time with the Spartan lately, mainly keeping on top of it. It is almost two years and 30,000miles since we bought it. This evening I changed the front brake pads, a laughably easy job and cheap, too, at £16 for Pagids. Amazingly, I managed not to bugger it up. The genuine items I replaced were made by Textar. I also fitted the winter wheels. At the weekend I will drop the oil and change the filter.
In the meantime I have not got round to getting the alternator replaced with a Bosch item. Lord Baister is being slow in sourcing one. At the same time, I will have him replace the timing chain tensioner. Sometimes it is a bit rattly on start up. The tensioner is behind the alternator, so it makes sense. I obtained a genuine item on eBay for £35. It also needs a wiper motor but I am struggling to source a new one. The current item is a bit slow.
In the meantime I have not got round to getting the alternator replaced with a Bosch item. Lord Baister is being slow in sourcing one. At the same time, I will have him replace the timing chain tensioner. Sometimes it is a bit rattly on start up. The tensioner is behind the alternator, so it makes sense. I obtained a genuine item on eBay for £35. It also needs a wiper motor but I am struggling to source a new one. The current item is a bit slow.
r129sl said:
Despite being Pistonheads' most anally retentive car enthusiast, I have lost the invoice.
The key was less than £30, however; and the ignition barrel was less than £120; both including VAT.
Both arrived within four working days, which is just extraordinary.
Just reading the post now has reminded me of my dad picking up a new 190E on 1 Jan 1984, A21 DRM. I went with him to pick it up, and when we got home he put it in the garage. 1 key was in the ignition to tune in the radio and the spare key was still in the car. I got in to put some mats in, triggered the central locking and shut the door. It took 4 days back then to get a new Key from Germany too!. It was very embarrassing at the time...a neighbour worked for the Daily Mirror and did a story on it, which was then picked up by local bbc and itv news showing dad riding my BMX up and down the road and then pretending to throttle me!The key was less than £30, however; and the ignition barrel was less than £120; both including VAT.
Both arrived within four working days, which is just extraordinary.
killysprint said:
Have seen the 190 doing the school run over the last week or so.
Makes me smile and is a refreshing change seeing it dodging between the white lease Mercedes and the SUV's with curbed alloys.
Thanks! I've been using it for a week or two and I do the school run. I hope I haven't been poisoning you: it smells a bit of petrol for some reason, I can't figure out whether it is the exhaust or a slight leak, but it is noticeable in traffic.Makes me smile and is a refreshing change seeing it dodging between the white lease Mercedes and the SUV's with curbed alloys.
This week Baister put in a genuine Merc alternator which has cured the interference and electrical glitches and which replaced the third Lucas item in a year. Surprisingly the Merc item was only about £150. He also did the rear pads and a couple of odd jobs.
Here is a fascinating picture of the new Mercedes alternator. The electrical interference problem was solved immediately and the part was little more than the Lucas version.
Meanwhile the fuel smell has not been resolved. The lines are dry. The boot is odour free. There are no pools under the car. It smells when stationary. Baister spotted a leak from the solenoid on the bottom of the carb. Here is the carb and beneath it is a close up of the solenoid, the leak visible:
New 'o' rings were ordered at some trifling price but they had to come from Germany. Sure enough when the solenoid was removed, the 'o' rings were shot. Here is the master at work, with the solenoid below:
Unfortunately, it still smells of fuel. The suspect now is the rubber flange between the carb and the manifold. It appears to be cracked. Hopefully this will be fitted early next week.
While at the dealer, I picked up two of these little boxes of spare fuses, one for the 129 the other for the 201, to be kept in the glove box. These are always on offer on eBay for £12 or something. Dealer price was £2. Quite a nice thing to have, the perspex case has the star on the top.
Meanwhile the fuel smell has not been resolved. The lines are dry. The boot is odour free. There are no pools under the car. It smells when stationary. Baister spotted a leak from the solenoid on the bottom of the carb. Here is the carb and beneath it is a close up of the solenoid, the leak visible:
New 'o' rings were ordered at some trifling price but they had to come from Germany. Sure enough when the solenoid was removed, the 'o' rings were shot. Here is the master at work, with the solenoid below:
Unfortunately, it still smells of fuel. The suspect now is the rubber flange between the carb and the manifold. It appears to be cracked. Hopefully this will be fitted early next week.
While at the dealer, I picked up two of these little boxes of spare fuses, one for the 129 the other for the 201, to be kept in the glove box. These are always on offer on eBay for £12 or something. Dealer price was £2. Quite a nice thing to have, the perspex case has the star on the top.
All fixed and good as new. The fuel smell was traced to a tiny leak in a hose in the engine compartment. Phew, that could have been nasty. The front anti-roll bar bushes are all new, curing a slight knocking in the front end (from ARB bushes are a very cheap and easy win on Mercs of this vintage, they are about £3 each, less than an hour to fit, you should have them done for the sake of it). And finally some new (genuine) rear springs were installed. The rear end was sagging. One spring had snapped and the other had collapsed. I replaced the spring pads, too (front and rear). I think when fitting new springs, it is a good idea to experiment with different pads to avoid an uneven ride height.
Boys and I gave it a quick service: no under tray so it really does take 10 minutes. It is on 149,380. You'll be pleased to hear the trip meter does not work (they all do that, sir), so there will be no cheesy snap.
Boys and I gave it a quick service: no under tray so it really does take 10 minutes. It is on 149,380. You'll be pleased to hear the trip meter does not work (they all do that, sir), so there will be no cheesy snap.
This is still absolutely my favourite car on the web.
As I said in the Barge thread, I do miss mine. I struggled with it two fold.
1) Trying to undo a good few years of neglect (which, as you know, can become financially tiring) and...
2) My wife not being a huge fan.
I've chopped and changed around a bit over the last year (I think 3 cars have come and gone since the 190e) but I've come to the conclusion that long term ownership really is the only solution. I know you'll never sell this one, so expenditure is all a bit irrelevant really. It'll only be yourselves who benefit from it.
As I've said before, keep the updates coming. I really am very fond of this one.
As I said in the Barge thread, I do miss mine. I struggled with it two fold.
1) Trying to undo a good few years of neglect (which, as you know, can become financially tiring) and...
2) My wife not being a huge fan.
I've chopped and changed around a bit over the last year (I think 3 cars have come and gone since the 190e) but I've come to the conclusion that long term ownership really is the only solution. I know you'll never sell this one, so expenditure is all a bit irrelevant really. It'll only be yourselves who benefit from it.
As I've said before, keep the updates coming. I really am very fond of this one.
olly22n said:
Over two years in now - do you have a running total/cost per mile?
Interested to see how this compares to a lease a4 et al.
All inclusive running costs are 28.7 new pence per mile over two years and 27,000miles.Interested to see how this compares to a lease a4 et al.
I started logging costs almost two years ago in June 2015. Since then we have covered just shy of 27,000miles at 30.49mpg. The fuel cost per mile is £0.167; the expenses per mile are £0.12; the total cost per mile being £0.287.
The expenses include insurance, tax, tyres and £800 of bodywork repairs which resulted from three (three!) lapses of attention on the part of a driver who shall remain nameless. The total fuel bill is £4,550.22; the total of expenses is £3,264.63.
It is pretty cheap and reliable. It makes a very good daily driver: its size makes it very easy to drive and it is nice and comfortable.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 26th April 14:56
I think we could get £3,000 for it if we waited long enough; we paid £2,000.
Really it ought to command more because it is like a brand new car but the colour, the mileage, the carb engine are going to limit the appeal and the whole retro motoring thing is already of acutely limited appeal anyway.
Really it ought to command more because it is like a brand new car but the colour, the mileage, the carb engine are going to limit the appeal and the whole retro motoring thing is already of acutely limited appeal anyway.
Is it possible to drive a 190 daily, even nowadays? I've always liked them in Almandine Red, but the notion of driving it through snow and salt makes me wonder just how well the car would fare. I remember reading this thread quite some time ago and being very, very impressed at the overall condition of your car. Hope it continues to treat you well!
Levin said:
Is it possible to drive a 190 daily, even nowadays? I've always liked them in Almandine Red, but the notion of driving it through snow and salt makes me wonder just how well the car would fare. I remember reading this thread quite some time ago and being very, very impressed at the overall condition of your car. Hope it continues to treat you well!
100%.I drove mine every day for about a month, clocking up about 2,000 miles. In fact, I'd always argue that using a car is the best thing you can do with it... Especially on something of this age.
They keep up with traffic fine, and are a joy to weave through towns because of the narrow footprint.
I'm looking at another one at the moment, and I've got a couple in the crosshairs. If this was for sale at £3000 I'd not even haggle and the deposit would be sent.
They are glorious little things, and a well sorted one takes a lot of beating.
BorniteIdentity said:
100%.
I drove mine every day for about a month, clocking up about 2,000 miles. In fact, I'd always argue that using a car is the best thing you can do with it... Especially on something of this age.
They keep up with traffic fine, and are a joy to weave through towns because of the narrow footprint.
I'm looking at another one at the moment, and I've got a couple in the crosshairs. If this was for sale at £3000 I'd not even haggle and the deposit would be sent.
They are glorious little things, and a well sorted one takes a lot of beating.
I saw an awful lot of 190s on the road in Germany last year, so I had a feeling this would be the conclusion. I'd be very wary of bringing something classic out during the winter lest it began to rust! I suppose underbody protection is the way forward, followed by simply enjoying the car. I'll always give a tidy example a second look, for they can be such good looking cars even now.I drove mine every day for about a month, clocking up about 2,000 miles. In fact, I'd always argue that using a car is the best thing you can do with it... Especially on something of this age.
They keep up with traffic fine, and are a joy to weave through towns because of the narrow footprint.
I'm looking at another one at the moment, and I've got a couple in the crosshairs. If this was for sale at £3000 I'd not even haggle and the deposit would be sent.
They are glorious little things, and a well sorted one takes a lot of beating.
I must admit, I'm very surprised they still make viable dailies, but my thinking may be soured by the late 1990s cars and their predilection for rust.
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